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Organisation of the expedition and partners involved
• The Mozambique 2008 Expedition was co-organized by Pro-Natura International and the Paris Museum
of Natural History in partnership with the Instituto de Investigaçao Agraria de Moçambique (IIAM)
through a series of expeditions under an initiative entitled “Our Planet Reviewed”;
• This expedition was made possible thanks to the support of the Albert II Foundation of Monaco, the
Total Foundation, and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. These foundations are partners of the natural
history expeditions of 2008–2010 in Mozambique and Madagascar. In addition a grant was received
from the Ars-Cuttoli Foundation (Fondation de France) earmarked for the zoological component of the
expedition;
• The flora and vegetation component of the Mozambique 2008 expedition was coordinated by Jonathan
Timberlake of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew (UK);
• The Zoology component of the Mozambique 2008 expedition was coordinated by Jean-Yves Rasplus of
the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA-France);
Acknowledgements
The expedition has received the support of the following insitutions and individuals:
• The University of Lurio (Mozambique) and the management of the Maluane conservation project;
• Chefe de Posto Administrativo de Quiterajo, Sr. Assumane Aly;
• Administrador do distrito de Palma, Sr. Pedro Romão Jemusse;
• Serviços Distritais das Actividades Económicas (SDAE) de Palma;
• The Company Artumas.
Objectives and Methods
The virtual absence of information on the vegetation, flora and small fauna of Cabo Delgado province in
Mozambique helped to define the goals of the expedition to have three main objectives:
1) To visit and characterise a number of areas that were preliminarily identified during the aerial
reconnaissance survey in April 2008, and to check the status, extent and types of vegetation in these
areas, targeting the least modified areas that contain dense vegetation (forest, woodland, high and low
thicket);
2) To make a rapid qualitative inventory of the main woody species in these areas, supported by botanical
voucher collections. These would, after identification, provide a reference collection for the 2009
expedition;
3) To make a first survey of insect diversity in the areas of study, and to select the insect groups that
should be targeted for a focused collection effort in 2009.
For secondary objectives, we included:
1) The training of technicians from the Mozambiquan partner (IIAM), both in the field, at the National
Herbarium in Maputo, and at the herbarium of the Royal Botanic Garden in Kew;
2) Obtaining further information for organising the technical and logistical part of the 2009 expedition;
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Pemba, provincial capital of Cabo Delgado
Pemba beach
3) Acquiring media material (photos, film footage, interviews) to support communication about the project
in 2009 and beyond.
The 2008 expedition was designed to cover as wide an area as possible, while maintaining enough focus to avoid
a too superficial investigation of the sites visited. This necessitated a semi-itinerant expedition, although the
required mobility was limited by the size of the team (25 people) and the relatively heavy logistics needed. The
limited capacity for resupply and the need to access clean drinking water were also limiting factors.
Progress of the expedition
General Calendar
The operational phase of the Mozambique 2008 Expedition was conducted from the 22nd November to the 13th
December 2008, giving 20 days of field research during which the full team was involved. The scientific team
was divided into several groups operating in the field from 2 base camps (Quiterajo and Palma) and a secondary
camp (Nhica do Rovuma). The expedition plan is detailed in Annex 1. The list of participants on the expedition,
their roles and affiliated organisations is given in Annex 2.
From the start to the close of the expedition, in addition
to the period of research activity, a further 16 extra days
should be added for organising and fact-finding in
preparation for the 2009 expedition.
Roland Fourcaud, expedition logistician, arrived in
Pemba on the 11th November, and was joined on the 19th
by Olivier Pascal and Mike Scott, who had driven 3 days
by road from Zimbabwe with 5 vehicles and the
necessary camping equipment.
John and Sandie Burrows reached Pemba in their own
vehicle on the 22nd November, after a 4-day trip from
South Africa.
Most of the team left Pemba on the 13th December.
Roland Fourcaud and Olivier Pascal did the final
winding-up prior to their departure on the 16th
December.
Incidents and delays
While most of the objectives of the expedition have been reached, the late arrival of part of the team had a
significant impact on its progress.
The sudden cancellation of Air France flight AF8002 from Paris to Johannesburg on the 21st November 2008
led to disruptions to the program, additional costs and reduced the capacity of the "zoology" and "media"
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components of the expedition. Seven participants were directly affected by this mishap, each experiencing
various re-routings of their flights and consequently they arrived at different dates in Pemba. The last to arrive
on the 25th November was Olivier Dubuquoy, the expedition photographer. Mathias Schmitt, journalist, was the
only person who had to cancel his trip to Mozambique.
The "zoology" component of the expedition suffered the brunt of this setback. Even though the three French
scientists (Jean-Yves Rasplus, Michel Martinez for entomology and Jean-Marc Duplantier for small mammals)
arrived — after a chaotic trip — in Pemba on the scheduled date (22nd November) their luggage containing their
scientific equipment had a different destiny. This report is not the appropriate place to go into detail about the
incident, especially as it would take several dozen pages to describe this episode. It only remains to say that the
zoology team had to spend 8 days without any scientific equipment. Despite this setback, their results are
satisfactory, thanks to the inventiveness and adaptability of the team members.
Area of interest to the study, routes taken by the teams
The expedition took place in Cabo Delgado province in
Mozambique, along a 250 km stretch of the coast from
south to north (from the provincial capital of Pemba to
the Tanzanian border) and in a 50 km wide band from
east to west from the coast.
The program and schedule of the expedition have on the
whole been adhered to. The areas around Palma and
Quiterajo targetted by the expedition were both covered
by the team according to plan (see Figure 1 on p. 7 for
details about the areas explored).
These two areas, identified during the aerial survey in
April / May 2008 as among the priority objectives for
this inventory, were studied by the scientific team for 9
and 8 days respectively.
The first part of the program took place in the Maluane
Reserve, a 336 km2 private concession, near village of
Quiterajo which is located about 5 hours drive from
Pemba (320 km). A camp was installed near this village
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Seismic survey ‘cut-line’ (used as a vehicle track) in the Palma area.
Expedition vehicles on the road from Mucojo to Quiterajo, where Camp 1 was installed.
on the edge of a former landing strip dating back to the Portuguese period. The camp was set up on the 20th and
21st November before the arrival of the scientists in Pemba on the 22nd November.
They were transferred from Pemba to Quiterajo on the 23rd November to begin their study of the site.
The second part of the expedition took place in the northernmost region of Cabo Delgado province, with the
installation of a base camp in Palma, beside the compound of the Canadian oil company Artumas. This was
placed in a central and above all functional location (as required by the need for clean drinking water) from
where it was possible to radiate out to other parts of the region in the far north of Mozambique.
A preliminary visit to the area was made by a small team (Phil Clarke, Tom Muller and Olivier Pascal) on the
23rd and 24th November 2008, accompanied by Martin Guard (Environment Manager of Artumas) and Flip Nell
(consultant with Impacto, a Mozambiquan Consulting Company entrusted with part of the Artumas
environmental impact study). The visit enabled specific areas to be identified where the inventory collections
should be focussed. This preliminary visit took place just before the closure of the oil cut-lines opened by
Artumas for seismic surveys (all tracks, or ‘cut lines’ were closed by the 25th November), which provided
important information on the vegetation types present and the overall state of the forests in this area, particularly
through discussions with Martin Guard and Flip Nell.
The area under investigation was extensive, so a secondary camp (fly camp) was installed in one of the sites of
major interest located near the village of Nhica do Rovuma, on the edge of one of a ‘pantanos’ (flooded
depressions) that dot the plateau overlooking the alluvial plain of the Rovuma river. This camp was occupied by
a reduced team throughout the stay in Palma.
‘Pantanos’, swampy periodically-flooded depressions. These formations are abundant on the central plateau near the Rovuma river.
‘Pantanos’ seen from camp 3 located on its edge.
8
Figure 1 : areas explored by the expedition to Mozambique in November 2008
The ‘zones covered’ in 2008 correspond to the areas traversed by the scientific team. The base camps of the expedition:
Near the village of Quiterajo Near the town of Palma Near the village of Nhica do Rovuma
The ‘collection sites’ correspond to areas of restricted extent, where vegetation types have been investigated in detail for their structure and composition. The collection of botanical samples were mainly carried out at these sites. Zoological specimens (mainly insects) were collected in the immediate vicinity of camps 1 and 3. The ‘areas to be covered’ in 2009 are yet to be defined in detail. The plan for this expedition will be finalized at the end of April 2009.
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Summary and review of preliminary results
Detailed reports on the ‘vegetation and flora’ and the ‘zoology’ are attached as Appendix 3 and 4.
The ground covered by the expedition was a little below expectation. One of the sites included in the original
program schedule, Lupangua, was not studied during this phase of the expedition, neither was Pundanhar region
nor the western part of the band of forest near the Rovuma river.
Even though the extent of the planned sites to be visited and the difficult travel conditions were underestimated
(we traveled over 4000 km), it was particularly the complexity of the vegetation associations encountered that
account for the relative reduction in the area visited compared to that which was planned.
The interesting nature of these sites and the time needed to study them is largely responsible for the reducing the
number of sites visited. That discovery is in itself a result.
However, the two priority areas have been largely covered by the expedition, according to plan.
It should be noted that the Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa are naturally limited in extent and occur only where
the necessary ecological conditions are present (related to a combination of sufficient rainfall together with well-
drained, nutrient-rich soils). Cabo Delgado, which receives less than 1000 mm of rainfall concentrated within six
months of the year, is at the natural ecological limit for the development of forest.
The coastal forests in Cabo Delgado province are therefore present in a vegetation matrix together with coastal
bushland, wooded grassland and Miombo type woodland formations. The boundary between these formation
types is blurred, with transitional forms in between. This can makes it difficult to precisely distinguish between
the different vegetation formation types within the landscape.
To this natural mosaic should be added the further fragmentation caused by ancient and recent human
disturbance, especially cultivation and fire. This is particularly strong in coastal areas that have traditionally
suffered a greater influence of human settlement than the interior.
The results of this study should therefore be interpreted by taking this context into account. And they should be
compared to other parts of Eastern Africa, particularly coastal Kenya and Tanzania where very little natural
vegetation now remains.
It is thus apparent that the remaining vestiges of the coastal forests in Cabo Delgado have an additional
ecological importance because they persist together with a range of other natural plant communities that together
provide the essential elements for understanding the original vegetation landscape of the area. It is this
combination, albeit now degraded, which makes this region of northern Mozambique unique, since it is the last
part of coastal East Africa where such a mosaic still exists to an appreciable extent.
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1) We now have collected evidence that Cabo Delgado province is home to plant communities that are
part of the ‘Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa’. The results of species identifications confirm the
association between the different types of forest encountered to those described in Tanzania and Kenya.
This association was already predicted by other scientists although no objective evidence was available
to substantiate this hypothesis.
2) The extent of forest cover, mainly concentrated along the southern rim of the Rovuma River (the natural
border with Tanzania) is the largest of the entire coastal area of eastern Africa. In addition, this
coverage is largely (50 to 70%) due to ‘forest’ and not to Miombo ‘woodland’, as had been widely
accepted until then. The Miombo woodland formations consist of a single canopy layer over a carpet of
grass. Although their ecological role is important, they are species-poor (at least for plants) and are
widely distributed throughout Southern Africa and therefore of lower biodiversity value than forests,
which have a multiple canopy layer together with an understorey that is often rich in rare species.
3) The general condition of the vegetation formations reveals that there has been massive human
interference, both past and present:
a. The coastal plain (5–50 m altitude) has been profoundly modified by human activity and the
remaining blocks of forests are fragmented and of small extent;
b. The plateau adjacent to the coastal plain, in the northernmost part of the province along the
border with Tanzania, still has an exceptional forest cover. The northern and eastern edges of
the plateau (60–100 m) still contain 2 types of dry forest, but are covered for the most part by
secondary forest of varying age. The central part of the plateau (90–140 m) shows a sequence
of plant communities linked to the slightly undulating topography and geomorphology, which
are amazingly well preserved. The mosaic of vegetation on the plateau (swampy depressions,
woodlands, and forests that are transitional between Miombo woodland and dry forest) is
unique in eastern Africa.
4) The preliminary results underline the importance of protecting in its totality the mosaic of vegetation
types encountered in order to ensure the integrity of the whole ecosystem, and not just the patches of
forest. A practical application of this preliminary result would be to guide conservation policy to
implement a type of protection that takes into account all plant associations and not only the forests
proper, nor to limit conservation action to vegetation types and subtypes defined as belonging to the
‘Eastern African Coastal Forests’.
5) Despite the magnitude of recent and past human disturbance, this region of northern Mozambique
(covering approximately 2,000 km2) is undoubtedly the last place on the eastern African coast with
sufficient pristine sites to enable a determination of its original nature.
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Indicators of results
- Reports of experts
The contributions by experts in botany and zoology will be consolidated with a species list into an updated
version of the present report that will be made public and distributed to the relevant authorities and institutions in
Mozambique in June 2009. These will also be available online on the expedition website while it is active.
- Collections
2,500 specimens of plants (multiple replicates from approximately 250 plant species) were collected. These
specimens will be equally distributed between the Paris National Museum of Natural History, the Royal Botanic
Gardens, Kew and the National Herbarium of Mozambique.
Approximately 10,000 insect specimens will be divided up, with a reference collection going to the insect
collection of IIAM in Maputo and the remainder to the Paris National Museum of Natural History and to various
scientific institutions that are members of the European Distributed Institute of Taxonomy in Europe, based on
their ability to identify the material.
The study of this material is ongoing, but some species are without doubt new to science and at least 10 tree
species were encountered for the first time in Mozambique.
- Photographic Archives
A photographic database has been established during the two reconnaissance expeditions to Mozambique. This
resource will be used to illustrate the operations in Mozambique, especially to supply the expedition website that
is to be launched in September 2009.
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ANNEXES
13
Annex 1 Mission plan
14
Annex 2 List of participants
Name position / role skill Institution Country
John Burrows Science team member Botany freelance expert in botany RSA
Sandie Burrows Science team member Botany freelance expert in botany RSA
Thomas Muller Science team member Botany freelance expert in botany Zimbabwe
Hermenegildo Matimele Science team member BotanyInstituto de Investigacao Agraria de
Mocambique (IIAM)Mozambique
Camila de Sousa Counter-part representative BotanyInstituto de Investigacao Agraria de
Mocambique (IIAM)Mozambique
Tereza Alves Science team member Forest ecologyInstituto de Investigacao Agraria de
Mocambique (IIAM)Mozambique
Aurelio Banze Tech. staff Plant collectorInstituto de Investigacao Agraria de
Jonathan Timberlake Plant co-ordinator Plant ecology Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew UK
Philip Clarke Science team member Botany freelance expert in botany UK
Frances Crawford Science team member Botany Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew UK
David Goyder Science team member Botany Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew UK
Roland Fourcaud Logistics/admin. Management technical staff (Pro-Natura) France
Olivier Pascal Head of mission Management technical staff (Pro-Natura) France
Jean-Yves Rasplus Zool. Co-ordinator EntomologyInstitut National de la Recherche
Agronomique (INRA)France
Michel Martinez Science team member EntomologyInstitut National de la Recherche
Agronomique (INRA)France
Frédéric Mathias Tech. Staff Tree climber Technical staff (free-lance) France
Jean-Marc Duplantier Science team member RodentsInstitut de Recherche pour le
Développement (IRD)France
Olivier Dubuquoy Media / outreach Photographer freelance France
Julien Voigt Media / outreach Photographer freelance France
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Annex 3 Botanical component
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Mozambique 2008
COASTAL DRY FORESTS OF CABO DELGADO – SECOND RECONNAISSANCE TRIP 22 November – 13 December 2008
Botanical
component
Progess
Report n°2
February 2009 Main author: Jonathan Timberlake, Kew
M U S E U M N A T I O N A L D’HISTOIRE NATURELLE
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Summary
1. The Eastern African Coastal Forest ecosystem is considered to be among the top ten biodiversity hotspots in Africa. Coastal forests in the Quiterajo and Palma–Nhica do Rovuma area form part of this ecosystem. They are therefore important for biodiversity conservation at both the national and international levels. A major conservation priority is to preserve remaining good forest patches.
2. There is a significant difference between Tanzanian and Mozambican coastal forests – the remaining patches in
Tanzania have been largely protected for a long period, while those in Mozambique, although much more extensive, have had no formal protection and most have been heavily disturbed at some time over the last 30–50 years, although they have been largely free to regenerate during the civil war period from ca. 1975–1992. This is seen through the presence of a massive tree cover containing proportionately fewer large mature trees in the Mozambique dry forests, and much of the forest extent is obviously at various stages of regeneration. Some areas of forest were however encountered that contained very large trees, though most of these were multi-stemmed, implying coppice regeneration from earlier clearance/logging. The structure and maturity of these forest patches is however unique in eastern Africa, and should therefore be a conservation priority to preserve perhaps the last surviving remnants of coastal forest with their near-original vegetation structure.
3. Less than an estimated 5% of the area within the Maluane Reserve (Quiterajo) comprises forest that is still in
reasonable condition. The remaining patches of good forest are now highly fragmented and will need careful management if their biodiversity is to be maintained.
4. Although the remaining patches of good forest are the main conservation priority in the Maluane Reserve, there is a
very good range and mosaic of other habitats, particularly in the northern sector from Quiterajo to the Rio Messalo. They should not be managed separately. The conservation of this range and mosaic of vegetation types, including the forests themselves, should, in our opinion, be the conservation focus for the Reserve.
5. The main threats to the forests in the Quiterajo area are:
– clearance of good quality forest for agriculture, settlements or roads – reintroduction of the selective logging of large timber trees – excessive destruction of trees and shrubs by elephants – fire being allowed into the forests.
6. The forests in the Rovuma–Palma area are far more extensive than those further south, but owing to gently
undulating topography, most are less well defined. Much of the area between 90–140m elevation is gently undulating and comprises a mosaic of miombo woodland, grassland and various facies of dry forest. According to Landsat imagery, the total extent is likely to have been between 250 and 350 km2, of which perhaps 50–70% is presently under cultivation. From visits on the ground, the extent of relatively intact dry forest, that is forest still with a reasonable number of large mature trees, is perhaps only 10–20 km2.
7. The landscape mosaic on Quaternary sediments south of Pundanhar–Nhica do Rovuma southwards to the Rio
Lunique (which exits at Moçimboa da Praia) is particularly diverse owing to the various habitats found – ranging from pan grassland, through wooded grassland to miombo woodland and low dry forest, as well as thickets on termitaria. Conservation management here should be more at a landscape level, rather than site-based, and focus on retaining the numerous habitats and their inter-relationships.
8. There are two remaining blocks with moderately intact dense dry forest visited this time – along the Rovuma
escarpment (particularly in the more rugged, dissected parts), and the area flanking the Rio Macanga southwest of Quionga and south of the border post at Namoto. It is thought other good forest areas are to be found west of Pundanhar.
9. Initial analysis of our plant collections suggest there are probably 10–20 species recorded for the first time in
Mozambique, and 2–5 species new to science. Our collections to date, along with other recent records (John & Sandie Burrows, Quentin Luke), show there are probably over 30 new records for Mozambique or the Flora Zambesiaca area found in the coastal forests of Cabo Delgado. A number of these represent the southern limit of the distribution of these species.
10. The areas suggested for more detailed study on the 2009 expedition are:
– Quiterajo / Maluane area – Nhica do Rovuma area – Pundanhar area and westwards – area west and southwest of Quionga.
In addition, it is recommended that a small team look at a range of forest patches further afield, including up on the Mueda Plateau and on the plateau remnants near Macomia, to place the main studied sites into a broader context.
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Survey background & context
The coastal forests of northern Mozambique are part of a wider ecosystem known as the Coastal Forests of
Eastern Africa, and have been identified by biologists as an important habitat for plants and animals. This
Eastern African Coastal Forest ecosystem is considered to be among the top ten biodiversity hotspots in Africa.
They have been well-studied in Kenya and Tanzania, but are very poorly known in Mozambique. Initial studies
in Mozambique suggest that those in the north will be very likely to contain hitherto undiscovered species.
Pro-Natura International, a French-based NGO has formed a partnership with IIAM (Instituto de Investigaçao
Agronomica de Moçambique) in Maputo to carry out a survey of these forests in the northern Provinces,
focussing on Cabo Delgado.
• In March 2008, Pro-Natura International employed the services of Prins Engineering
http://www.prinsengineering.com/ to provide false-colour prints of the vegetation cover of coastal Cabo
Delgado province in order to help identify potential areas of interesting forest, based on the results of a
similar survey conducted in southeast Tanzania in 2001. From this satellite images a number of
potential sites were identified ;
• In April/May 2008 Pro-Natura followed up the satellite study with an aerial survey in northern
Mozambique that gave additional confirmation to the satellite analysis (see Progress Report n°1) ;
• In November & December 2008 Pro-Natura assembled a small team of botanists and entomologists to
conduct a rapid assessment of the sites in Cabo Delgado that were identified by our satellite study and
aerial surveys ;
• Based on the results of this rapid assessment survey, Pro-Natura will follow up in November 2009 with
a larger expedition to conduct a more complete inventory of the best coastal forest sites in Cabo
Delgado.
Introduction
A reconnaissance trip to Pemba, Moçimboa da Praia and Palma in northern Mozambique was carried out
between 22 November and 13 December 2008. Participants on the botanical side were: Tereza Alves, Camila de
Sousa, Hermenegildo Matimela and Aurelio Banze from IIAM in Maputo; Jonathan Timberlake, David Goyder
and Frances Crawford from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in UK; Tom Muller (Zimbabwe), Philip Clarke
(Denmark), John and Sandie Burrows (South Africa).
The main objective of the reconnaissance trip was to gather biological data and information for a more detailed
study planned by the end of 2009. The trip was jointly organised by IIAM, Pro-Natura International and the
French Museum of Natural History.
The specific botanical objectives, which built on a previous reconnaissance trip in May 2008, were:
1. To categorise vegetation in the Quiterajo and Palma areas, the detailed study sites selected after the
earlier trip in April/May 2008;
2. To carry out plant collections at both these sites, with particular reference to species that either
characterise the vegetation or are likely to be confined to coastal forests;
3. To make a first assessment of the conservation value of the various forest patches visited, determine
threats to them, and make some preliminary suggestions as to appropriate management;
4. To provide on-the-job training for Mozambican botanists.
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Palma / Nhica do Rovuma area
Quiterajo area
The fieldwork was followed by a one-week training session at the LMA (IIAM) Herbarium in Maputo, carried
out by David Goyder. This focussed on two objectives: (a) to provide basic training in the use of plant family
identification characters and how to handle larger field accessions, and (b) to carry out an initial sort of all the
specimens collected on the current expedition in preparation for postage of specimens to Kew for later
identification. Botanists from the University herbarium (LMU) also participated in this training.
Study Areas
The broader study area runs from Pemba in the south, up the coast to the Rovuma estuary, across to the Mueda
plateau and then SSE back down to Pemba. It is about 280 km at its longest and 100 km at its widest, and covers
approximately 21,000 km2.
The principal focus of the project is dry coastal forests, known from similar studies in Tanzania to be both
species-rich and to contain numerous endemics or species of restricted distribution.
For this reconnaissance trip, however, two smaller study areas were chosen based on the earlier reconnaissance –
Quiterajo and the greater Palma–Nhica do Rovuma area (Figure 1). They were chosen on the basis of their
apparent good condition and size, uniqueness and accessibility, and were significantly different from each other
in terms of landscape and substrate.
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Forest Types
Forest is considered to be a vegetation type with a closed canopy of trees, usually overlapping, a distinct shrub or
understorey layer, and with no (or a very poorly developed) grass layer. Dry forest is forest dominated and
characterised by species that are essentially deciduous or xerophytic in nature, although all coastal forests in this
area contain some evergreen species. During the dry season dry forests can have numerous leafless trees,
although evergreens are often also present. Coastal forests are broadly defined as closed canopy fire-excluded
forests dominated or characterised by plant species that are confined to the eastern African coastal region. A
particular type of coastal forest of interest to us is that dominated by various trees of the Leguminosae family, in
particularly those in the Caesalpinioideae subfamily. It is this broad type that is known to have a number of
species of restricted distribution, and to show a marked turnover in species dominance between patches. Such
forests lie principally within 10–70 km of the eastern African coast.
The initial botanical and conservation findings from the November-December study trip are outlined below.
However, this interim report was written before any plant specimens had been properly identified, thus results
are very preliminary and further new records are likely to be found.
Areas visited during the reconnaissance trip
Quiterajo Area
A number of sites in the Maluane
concession in the Quiterajo area were
visited, but the expedition
particularly focussed on northern and
eastern areas.
Specimens were collected from some
250 species, of which we expect 5–20
species to be recorded for the first
time in Mozambique. We may also
find 1–2 new plant species to science.
The coastal forests we have primarily looked at are those on sandy soils on the plateau / escarpment edges
derived from Cretaceous sandstones, as typified by the area of forest on the plateau / escarpment to the
immediate north of Quiterajo centre (sede) — the Nahavara forest, sometimes termed by us "The Banana"
(centred on 11o46S, 40o22'E). The soils are medium to coarse textured sands, well-drained and moderately deep,
and possibly acidic. This type of forest is primarily found at 100–200m altitude and is dominated by Guibourtia
schliebenii (a coastal forest endemic), in association with Pteleopsis myrtifolia and Manilkara discolor. Two
species of Warneckia and two species of Memecylon characterise the understorey shrubs, species which are
otherwise rare in Mozambique. Tree diversity in this forest type is low, with few emergents of other wide
Landscape in the Quiterajo area
21
crowned species such as Hymenaea verrucosa, Afzelia quanzensis and Cordyla africana. In many areas these
large trees appear to have been removed, leaving a Guibourtia-dominated canopy at 10–12m with both
deciduous and evergreen species, and a thick
evergreen shrub layer at 3–4m. Many lianas are
present, some of which appear to be very old.
These contribute a significant part of the canopy
cover and make passage through this type of forest
difficult.
A different type of coastal forest exists in the
sacred forest area near the village of Gaza
(11o46'S, 40o16'E) in the Rio Messalo floodplain
on alluvial soils, where Micklethwaitia carvalhoi
(recorded as Cynometra fischerii in a previous
vegetation study by the Universidade Eduardo
Mondlane in Maputo) is strongly dominant in a
small area together with Berlinia orientalis and
Millettia stuhlmannii. This is the northernmost
record for Micklethwaitia, a monotypic genus that
is endemic to Cabo Delgado. The species was only
found by us at this site, and may once have been more widespread in the other areas of forest on alluvial soils.
A possible third forest type is present on the less-steep slopes leading off the escarpment edges (11o48'S,
40o20'E), and perhaps elsewhere. This type comprises tall trees up to 25m, but it was not possible to characterise
it further.
The forests are naturally broken up in the
landscape by ‘baixas’ (grassy drainage lines)
fringed by a narrow band of Berlinia orientalis
and Afzelia quanzensis woodland, and
Caesalpinoid-dominated miombo (Brachystegia)
woodland higher up the slopes. On the wider
floodplains the woodland becomes more open, and
in some areas is characterised by abundant
Hyphaene doum palms. There are lots of tree
species that are distributed by elephants in this
vegetation type.
Micklethwaitia forest, Quiterajo area.
Guibourtia dry forest, Quiterajo plateau
Drainage line fringed by Berlinia – Afzelia woodland, Quiterajo area
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Human settlements were historically concentrated near areas with good access to water, such as beside the baixas
and floodplain fringes. The forests on the plateaux appear to be favoured for cultivation, even where these may
be at some distance from settlements. The game guards informed us that a number of settlements and cultivated
areas were abandoned during the wars of 1962–1992 and more recently due to heavy elephant disturbance;
which confirmed our observation that large areas of dry scrub forest on the plateaux have regenerated following
clearance for agriculture.
Fires from the burning of areas cleared for farmland, or from understorey burning of mango and cashew
orchards, was observed to penetrate into the forests in some areas.
The probable extent of coastal forest in the broad Quiterajo area was historically in the order of hundreds of
square kilometres (300–500 km2). But over the last 200–400 years the major part appears to have been cleared at
one time or another for cultivation as part of a traditional practice of bush fallowing. This was seen in large areas
of scrub forest with a very low canopy, many multi-stemmed trees that appear to have regenerated by coppicing,
and in the absence or greatly reduced number of large trees.
Other significant forms of disturbance encountered were logging (apparently mainly during colonial times), the
construction of access tracks and – more recently – elephant damage.
The remaining area of good quality forest in the Maluane Reserve is now highly fragmented, but contains a high
diversity of species, quite a few of which are confined to the coastal area of northern Mozambique and southern
Tanzania. These species are coastal, rather than originating from the continental interior. The extent of forest still
in reasonable ecological condition is perhaps only 20% of what was originally present 200 years or more ago. Of
this 20%, less than a quarter, i.e. less than 5%, is what we would consider to be good quality forest, even though
it is disturbed.
Conservation efforts should be directed at a landscape level in order to preserve a mosaic of habitats, rather than
focussing on specific sites or species. The area immediately south of the Rio Messalo, on the northern side of the
concession, should be a priority.
Rovuma – Palma Area
There are basically four types of landscape in the broad area from Mueda to Palma, although we have only
looked at two in any detail (Landscapes A and B).
A. "Rim" of higher ground (60–100 m elevation) underlain by Miocene sandstones, with reddish sandy soils.
Comprises an E–W section of the Rovuma escarpment above the Rovuma floodplain, and a N–S section
just inland of the coast following the main Palma–Moçimboa road.
B. Plateau or "sponge" of more recent Quaternary sediments, which cover most of this section of the study
area, with an elevation of 90–140m. The landscape is very gently undulating, with the main drainage
being through Miocene sediments to the coast to the east and fairly deeply incised.
23
C. Area of Mueda plateau underlain by Cretaceous sandstones, dipping W to E, and up to 700–1000 m
altitude in the west.
D. Coastal plain from 5–50 m elevation, mostly comprising Quaternary deposits (alluvium and colluvium)
and ancient uplifted corals on the Cabo Delgado peninsula. Vegetation mostly heavily disturbed, with
many coconuts, cashew, mango, palms.
Landscape A: Miocene sands – this area is somewhat dissected and also the most heavily settled area after the
coastal plain. Vegetation probably originally comprised dry forest and fairly dense Brachystegia or Berlinia
woodland/transition forest, but now most of the original vegetation has been cleared for subsistence agriculture
(as well as roads and settlements), and the remainder is generally highly fragmented.
Landscape B: Quaternary sediments – this is the most extensive type and is surprisingly little disturbed (just
locally). Landscape is only gently undulating and characterised by a number of grassy pans and drainage lines.
Vegetation is generally Brachystegia spiciformis–Berlinia–Uapaca nitida woodland, but with extensive grassy
areas, often fringed by Parinari curatellifolia. On slightly elevated areas there is often a sand cap or "lens" of
coarser-textured, deeper and better-drained sand, giving rise to patches of forest-type vegetation such as closed-
canopy Berlinia forest with an understorey of predominantly forest shrubs (especially Rubiaceae) and small
Lake Nhica and the Rovuma floodplain seen from the escarpment at Nhica do Rovuma (foreground)
The Rovuma Rim forests (looking southward from above the Rovuma River)
Interplay of Miombo woodland and dry coastal forest bordering a drainage line (landscape type B), Palma area
Coastal plain in the background and coral rag bushland in the right foreground, north of Pemba bay
24
trees. It is a sort of intermediate type between typical miombo woodland and typical dry forest. Also found are
numerous termitaria with "termitaria forest" and palms.
Given these different landscapes, at this stage we have provisionally identified four dry coastal forest types in
this area, although not all are very distinct one from another.
1 - Dry forest on brown, medium-textured sands on higher ground,
primarily on Miocene-derived soils (part of Landscape A). Forest
12–16 m high, lot of Ochna and Diospyros verrucosa in
subcanopy, along with Manilkara discolor and Berlinia. Upper
canopy often missing – remaining large trees primarily Berlinia,
Afzelia, Hymenaea (sometimes with Brachystegia spiciformis).
Most of this type has presumably been logged in colonial times for
the larger and valued trees, and the great majority of the area Track through disturbed dry forest, Palma area (type 1)
A
A
B
C
D
D
D
Type + woodland +grassland
Type
RIO MACANGA
NHICA
PUNDANHAR
Type
Type
‘BANANA’ PLATEAU
Potential new areas of importance for biodiversity
heudelotii, Sterculia schliebenii, Bivinia jalbertii, and others.
Diospyros kabuyeana, only recently recorded from Mozambique,
is common in the understorey along cutline 34. We did not visit an
adequate range of sites in this type.
3 - Dry forest similar to Type 1 but forming part of the
Quaternary landscape catena and mosaic (Landscape B) between
Palma and Nhica do Rovuma. Characterised by a low canopy to
10–15m of Berlinia, Afzelia and Hymenaea (sometimes
Brachystegia spiciformis) with a dry forest understorey, often
with unusual Rubiaceae shrubs such as Didymosalpinx. Appears
to have been little disturbed, except close to villages, and are
unique and of particular conservation interest (J. Burrows pers.
comm.). More detail is given under Landscape B description.
Track through good quality dry forest, Palma area (type 1)
Taller forest on colluvial soils (type 2), Nhica
Didymosalpinx norae, a shrub of forest type 3
An unusually large, 40+m tall individual of Afzelia quanzensis, near Nhica do Rovuma
A squat, multi-stemmed Afzelia quanzensis which appears to have coppice-regenerated. A. quanzensis, like several other miombo dominant species, has the ability to coppice after being cut
26
4 - Coral rag bushland. Primarily found along Cabo
Delgado towards the lighthouse. It was not fully
investigated, but it is believed to support a number
of interesting coastal species.
The most interesting tree species appear to be in Type 2 on colluvium, but perhaps the most species-rich is Type
1. However, this is also the most extensive both in total area and in geographical spread, so this is to be
expected. Type 3 is considered to be of particular conservation interest as these forests on slightly raised "sand
lenses" are an integral part of a landscape mosaic with high overall diversity.
Type 1 is the most threatened type owing to the rapid
expansion of settlement and cultivation. However, it is
possible that the Nhica do Rovuma and Pundanhar areas
have good remaining areas of forest that are under less
threat.
One specific conservation priority is in the eastern part of
the study area, close to Quionga. There is a block of
forest along cutlines 11 and 34 immediately north of the
"hidden pan" (10o40'05"S, 40o27'52"E) NNW of Palma,
flanking the incised S–N-flowing Rio Macanga that exits
near Quionga. This has a particularly undisturbed canopy
with emergent trees, something rarely seen elsewhere in
East Africa (P. Clarke, pers. comm.). Otherwise, the main broad conservation concern would appear to be the
miombo catenas on Quaternary sediments and on the Rovuma escarpment below, where the conservation focus
should operate at a landscape level rather than site level.
There are still two unanswered questions:
a) Where do the Quaternary sediments end and the Miocene sediments begin? Or is the change actually
transitional with no clear boundary. A boundary is clearly seen at one place on the road to Nhica on a
steep gullied slope with much deeper redder consolidated sands above.
b) How can we separate out the botanical differences arising from "natural " differences, such as soil type
and geomorphological position, from change arising from the last 100–200 years of human landuse. That
is, to what extent are the differences in forest structure and composition seen a result of historical land use
patterns rather than underlying environmental conditions?
Cape Delgado, itself, with coral rag bushland. The lighthouse is at the end of the track to the right
Forest clearance (type 1) for agriculture, Nhica do Rovuma
27
Stilt-rooted Uapaca. This tree species was only found in a tiny (1ha) patch of forest during the reconnaissance survey
Other Areas
Although on this trip only the Quiterajo and Palma–
Nhica areas were visited, some useful observations
were made elsewhere.
A very unusual and interesting patch of swamp forest
was found near Quissenge airstrip (11o03'44"S,
40o26'51"E), dominated by a stilt-rooted species of
Uapaca (U. lissopyrena?) 15–20m high. Associated
species were a mixture of those from miombo
woodland and dry forest. This patch is apparently
unique and should be a conservation priority.
There is a broad area flanking the Rio Messalo to the
north and south (along the road, centred on 11o45'S,
40o00'E and 12o00'S, 40o08'E) that, although heavily disturbed and with large patches cleared for cultivation,
appeared to support much larger and taller trees. The species were mostly woodland species but others are more
typically associated with dry forest. The habitat appeared significantly more fertile for tree growth, and trees
showed less moisture stress than those in most areas where we had been working. There was also much evidence
of logging here (tracks, vehicles on road, etc), not surprising given the size of remaining trees. It is thought that
the apparent higher fertility relates to both incident moisture and lateral movement of moisture and nutrients
flowing towards the Messalo valley, although there may also be a difference in substrate.
Plant Specimens and Species
Over 890 numbered plant collections were made (Burrows 359,